Homesteaders

[cookfamilyfarm]

Hi Beekissed, I am very interested in canning chicken. Our family had a power outage in the winter and I was lucky enough to pile up snow and ice around our frozen chicken, then it happened in the Summer. The results were not the same. So, if you have a recipe and even a youtube video you can suggest I would appreciate it. Thank you very much.

 

[Beekissed]

Hi Beekissed, I am very interested in canning chicken. Our family had a power outage in the winter and I was lucky enough to pile up snow and ice around our frozen chicken, then it happened in the Summer. The results were not the same. So, if you have a recipe and even a youtube video you can suggest I would appreciate it. Thank you very much.

There's really nothing special to it...just cold pack~place the meat in the jar raw~with a teaspoon or tablespoon of salt, your pleasure, add water to about 3/4 of the jar and can for 90 min. at 15 psi. Some folks precook the meat and put it in the jar hot, along with the broth, and that takes canning time off and some will pour hot water over the meat to also cut canning time. Doing meat by cold packing cuts it down to a few simple steps and less worry about breaking jars by adding hot liquids/meat.

All you really need is a Ball Blue canning booklet for canning anything you'd want to can: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...anning book&qid=1457313969&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5

Can't get much cheaper than this one in the link and I prefer the older editions like this one, even older if I can get it. Everyone puts their own little twists on their canning and that comes with time, but the Ball book seems to be the standard for most canning.

I hope you do this and let us know how you like it and how it all turned out. I LOVE canned chicken....it can take an old gnarly rooster or ancient hen and turn them into something more tender than a young fryer.

Here's a great site for the novice....very clear and simple directions, with great pics, for various canned items. http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-chicken.html

 

[rancher hicks]

The thing with generators is this....if you don't use them often, the hoses and gaskets dry up and crack, so when you really need it, they may not run. Then, you have to run them frequently to keep things like freezers going, so much gas is used...one has to determine if the food in the freezer is worth all the money spent to maintain generators and the gas used. It makes no economic sense at all to even invest in a generator and prepare to be dependent upon one. Best to arrange one's life so they are not dependent upon the electric grid for food, water, plumbing and heat so nothing stand between them and regular living in the case of a power outage, particularly if this happens frequently in your area due to storms~both summer and winter storms.

The time to be prepared for such times is before they ever happen. Replacing one dependency on power for another dependency on power of a different kind is not a long term solution to the problem, IMO.

We haven't had major outages here and I am aware of using things or they dry up or rust. Just like my joints.

I figure in the old, old, old days if they killed a cow they ate beef alot for days on end or smoked it. I also expect many died of food poisoning.

I'm concerned that we don't have a fireplace or wood stove for heat. At least IF we needed it. We've had the furnace break in the cold weather.

I'm not so trusting of my canning skills though so purchased canned food would have to do. Either that or grown in season. When you live not so far from the grocers it's not to much of a worry. If we lived in the country proper I'd do more I expect.

Every situation is different and the degree we can and have to provide for ourselves is different.

If find there is no sense of community anymore at least where I'm at. Our pastor preaches it but it's hard to get folks to embrace the idea. The idea of caring for each other without expectation of payment.

I'm at a crossroads of late so please excuse me if I don't get it right. I'm afraid of making the wrong decision. Pointedly, do I get rid of all my chickens so I can go south or travel to see the grandkids. We are a close knit family. DW is going south and I'll be staying here. Next is my trip to AK and I hate to go alone, but have no one to watch the chickens for a month. Then winter will come and we're asked to come south for six weeks. Imagine having kids who want you for that long.

I don't understand how folks can move to another country and leave family. At least we have the option of going to see ours.

 

[cookfamilyfarm]

Alright, Thank you , Beekissed ! I will try it this year.

 

[dawnstone69]

We also homestead we have over 20 chickens n five ducks we grow what we can and preserve everyting plus i make jewerly to sell on esty to help cover bills being i dont work at all. I love doing all this stuff my self its a grwat way to live. My days are long and can get hetic but i wouldnt change it for nothing best of luck on your venture.

 

[MoonShadows]

We haven't had major outages here and I am aware of using things or they dry up or rust. Just like my joints.

I figure in the old, old, old days if they killed a cow they ate beef alot for days on end or smoked it. I also expect many died of food poisoning.

I'm concerned that we don't have a fireplace or wood stove for heat. At least IF we needed it. We've had the furnace break in the cold weather.

I'm not so trusting of my canning skills though so purchased canned food would have to do. Either that or grown in season. When you live not so far from the grocers it's not to much of a worry. If we lived in the country proper I'd do more I expect.

Every situation is different and the degree we can and have to provide for ourselves is different.

If find there is no sense of community anymore at least where I'm at. Our pastor preaches it but it's hard to get folks to embrace the idea. The idea of caring for each other without expectation of payment.

I'm at a crossroads of late so please excuse me if I don't get it right. I'm afraid of making the wrong decision. Pointedly, do I get rid of all my chickens so I can go south or travel to see the grandkids. We are a close knit family. DW is going south and I'll be staying here. Next is my trip to AK and I hate to go alone, but have no one to watch the chickens for a month. Then winter will come and we're asked to come south for six weeks. Imagine having kids who want you for that long.

I don't understand how folks can move to another country and leave family. At least we have the option of going to see ours.

Go South "young" man! The chickens are not as important. Do it while you can, or you'll regret it. Maybe you can get your grandkids a few chickens and you'll have chickens every winter thereafter when you visit them!

 

[Serenashome]

We also homestead we have over 20 chickens n five ducks we grow what we can and preserve everyting plus i make jewerly to sell on esty to help cover bills being i dont work at all. I love doing all this stuff my self its a grwat way to live. My days are long and can get hetic but i wouldnt change it for nothing best of luck on your venture.

Welcome to BYC!!! Great to see another artist/homesteader here

 

[dawnstone69]

Thanks im suprised more people dont do it way to many people my age that cant do any of what i do but my mom n dad taught us right

 

[KlopKlop]

well, I pulled the trigger and planted my tomatoes and peppers last night. Brandywine, Pineapple, Cherry, Roma, and SanMarzano tomatoes. Jalapeno, California Wonder, and Anaheim peppers. I loaded the trays into my new 'seed starting chamber' and hope to see plants within a few days! I bought heirloom seeds from a guy near here who sells online. My package of '30 seeds' of one tomato variety planted 24 cells with 2 seeds each. this was consistent for all my varieties. Many Many extra! I bet you don't get that buying from burpee and Johny Seeds!

 

[wyoDreamer]

@klopklop Just to let you know - peppers have a 20 day germination. Tomatoes have a 10 day germination. So don't give up on the seeds if you don't have seedlings right away...

We installed a pellet insert into the fireplace in the farmhouse we bought. We were thinking wood, but the land we bought doesn't have a woodlot so no easy source of firewood. We also are planning on staying here for the rest of our lives, so we are making this place low maintenance and easy. The pellet insert will run on a battery if the power goes out, and it will run for 24 hours on a bag of pellets during the heart of winter.